Tyler Savage’s Oddities makes great use of its title to evoke mystery and weirdness. It’s not to be confused with Irish horror film Oddity from 2024. The writer/director explores human beings as trinkets and gadgets in a thrift store. Through a carefully intricate story (things are never as they seem…), Savage dresses up a darker plot with a homey, rustic ribbon that just makes you feel all cozy inside. But the veneer doesn’t stay in place for long. Tyler Savage shows an impressive love of the genre, often playing with tricks and conventions as a magician does onstage, and an affinity for 2011’s The Cabin in the Woods.
Rose (Lilimar) and Makenna (Lovie Simone) stop at a roadside antique shop. After evading a local cop, thanks to the shop owner, Betty (Adrienne Barbeau), a chipper woman with a glowing smile and a sparkle in her eyes, they take a stroll around the joint. Shelves of items stretch out in all directions. Betty has anything and everything you could possibly want. Things slowly become sinister as it becomes evident that Betty harbors a deep, dark secret. She eyes the two young women weaving through the aisles. There’s a storm brewing, and only time brings it to the surface.
Barbeau relishes in her performance, delivering one that’s equally inviting and menacing. She works her acting magic so perfectly that she hypnotizes the audience, too. When the story takes a hard left turn, Rose and Makenna make the switch into warriors. But they have their work cut out for them. The forces at work are not to be played with, and the folks guarding them might have the upper hand. That is, unless Rose and Makenna can help it. Once the film really gets going, it’s full-throttle chaos right up to the unexpected final shot.
Tyler Savage clearly knows what he’s doing. If you have Barbeau amongst your cast, you’d better get the most out of the iconic actor. And he doesn’t shy away from taking big, bold swings. They’ll either land for you or totally miss the mark. For their parts, Lilimar and Simone counterbalance Barbeau’s diabolical turn with strong, grounded lead performances that charm the audience and make them worth rooting for.
With several specific reference points, Oddities manages to yank the rug out from under the viewer. And it never apologizes for its homages nor its clever sleights of hand. That’s the real spell of Tyler Savage’s world. He’s constructed a dangerously mesmerizing narrative that sets up potential for future films within the freaky framework. When all is said and done, Oddities is a good old monstrous time!
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